Look What I Made! (Holiday Edition, Part 1)

I love these winter holidays because it gives me an excuse to craft up a storm. Not that I should really need one, but holiday crafts are lots of fun, especially when you can make some awesome homemade gifts.

Tonight, I made a stocking for Jude out of a wool sweater from the thrift store.

I would have taken a picture of it hung by the chimney with care, but alas, I couldn't find any hooks.

So, maybe you're scratching your head wondering, "how did she do that?!" Or perhaps you've already figured it out. Either way I will tell you how. I wish I would have had some foresight and taken step by step pictures to make a real tutorial, but I got all caught up in the moment and just did it.

1. Acquire a delightfully patterned 100% lambswool sweater from the thrift store, they usually run between $1-5.
2. Be a rebel, throw that sucker in your normal laundry load, you know, the one with hot water and toss it in the dryer too. For you wool-lovers screaming at me out there, you want to do this, it felts the material and makes it much easier to work with, plus since you got it from the thrift store chances are it has already been ruined.
3. Take a stocking, or print off a stocking shape and cut it out, lay it on top of the freshly washed and dried sweater. You can use either the neck or the bottom cuff as the top cuff (I used the neck for this one).
4. Cut around the stocking (or stocking shaped paper).
5. Turn fabric so the right sides are facing each other.
6. Pin and sew. I used a straight stitch.
7. Make sure to make notches around the curved parts at the heel and toe of the stocking so they properly curve when you turn it inside out. 
8. To make the loopy, take a piece of leftover sweater (I used about 6 inches of bottom cuff fabric), form a loop with it, and sew the loop to the top of the inside seam on the opposite side of the toe. I used a zig-zag stitch and went back and forth about 5 times for extra strength.

There you go, now you can make your very own wool stocking! And your cat will love it.

What is with cats and wool, anyway? When I was working on this, my cat would lay on my pieces, or my pile of sweaters, then when I was done she made it her bed on the table. Weirdo.

I also made a pair of longies from the sleeves, but I couldn't figure out how to do the waist band and think I made them far too large so I gave up on them until I can get help from my mommy.